Predictors of Attitudes Toward Telemedicine and Its Usage Among Surgeons: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study

Telemedicine facilitates remote consultations and expands access to healthcare, marking a transformative shift in the medical field. Given the critical role of surgeons in the healthcare system, the adoption of telemedicine in surgical practice offers both distinct benefits and challenges. This research aims to assess the predictors of telemedicine attitudes and usage among surgeons in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out among 198 surgeons from public and private hospitals in Jeddah using convenience sampling technique. Data were collected in person using a pre-designed and validated questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out by IBM SPSS version 26. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to identify significant factors influencing surgeons' attitudes and usage of telemedicine.

Among the participants, 54.5% reported having used telemedicine at least once in the past. Bivariate analysis revealed that surgeons in private hospitals (64.9%) were more likely to use telemedicine than those in public hospitals (40.4%; P = .001). Females were also associated with a higher usage (67.5%) in comparison to males (45.7%; P = .003). Frequent users were found to have less positive attitude compared to occasional users (35.4% vs 60.7%) (P < .001). Key concerns shaping attitudes toward telemedicine included limited ability to perform physical examinations, with 32.8% strongly agreeing, and concerns about the reliability of teleconsultation technology, reported by 40.9% of participants. Binary logistic regression revealed that prior usage or exposure to telemedicine was the only significant predictor of positive attitudes, with an odds ratio of 5.688 (95% confidence interval: 1.593-20.313; P = .007).

The inclusion of telemedicine in surgical practice in Jeddah, especially within private healthcare settings, appears promising. The most consistent and significant predictor of positive attitudes toward telemedicine was prior use, as surgeons with previous exposure were more likely to hold favorable views.